Senators Press Acting Attorney General Blanche on Mifepristone Lawsuits at Confirmation Hearing
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday for his confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Justice, facing repeated questions from Republican senators about the department's approach to lawsuits over a federal policy that allows the abortion pill mifepristone to be dispensed by mail.
Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa pressed Blanche on Louisiana's pending suit against the FDA over the mail-order policy. Blanche responded that the administration is not "defending what Biden and what his administration did," while declining to detail the department's litigation strategy.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, joined by Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, said women "are hurt as a result of side effects" when the drug is obtained by mail without an in-person medical visit, and urged Blanche to respond formally to a letter the two senators had sent him on the issue. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri told Blanche, "there's got to be some solution to this."
Blanche pointed to a pledged FDA safety review of mifepristone as evidence of the administration's pro-life commitment, telling the panel that regulators are now taking "a real look" at whether the drug is safe, something he said had not happened in a decade.
The hearing came as pro-life advocates, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, have urged the Justice Department to settle Louisiana's suit rather than continue seeking delays. The late Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime supporter of Blanche's nomination and a member of the Judiciary Committee, died July 11; his Senate seat has been filled on an interim basis by his sister, Darline Graham Nordone. A second day of hearings on Blanche's nomination is scheduled for July 16.
Final Thoughts
Every day that mail-order abortion drugs reach women without a doctor's examination is a day a dangerous loophole stays open, both for mothers facing pressure or coercion and for the unborn children whose lives end as a result. Priests for Life urges the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Attorney General Blanche himself, to act with urgency on behalf of the women and children this policy continues to put at risk.
